Apparatus for raising sunken ships.



/ S. STEINER.

APPARATUS FOR RAISING SUNKEN SHIPS.

APPLICATION FILED NOVJ, 1913.

Patented Aug. 11, 914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1,

Mi? Mi. A 2;

S. STEINER.

APPARATUS FOR RAISING SUNKEN SHIPS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7, 1913.

Patented Aug. 11, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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SIGMUND STEINER, OF BORYSLAW, AUSTRIA-IIUNGARY, ASSIGNOB 0F ONE-HALF TCWOLF KROHN, 0F BORYSLAW, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

APPARATE VS FOR RAISING S UNKEN SHIPS.

incense.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 11., 191d.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIGMUND senses manager, a subject of the Emperor ofAustria-Hungary, residing at Boryslaw, in the Province of Galicia, inthe Austro'Hungarian Empire, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Apparatus for liaising Sunken Ships, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawing.

This invention relates to apparatus for engaging with the decks ofsunken ships, whereby the ships may be raised, and if desired conveyedto shallower water.

The apparatus is used in connection with a platform supported over thesunken ship from two other vessels. On the platform a drilling tower iserected ca Jable of move ment to all points of the plat orm and adaptedto be fixed. in any position. From the drilling tower which 15preferably constructed on the well known system of Parker or Raki, tubesare let down through openings in the platform of the sunken ship, andthe ships deck or the sides of the hull are drilled accordingto one ofthe said systems. The employment of the Raki drilling system has theadvantage of producing a core which shows the nature of the constructionof the ships deck or hull and also shows that the ship has been actuallyreached.

On the completion or" the drilling operation, a gripper is let downthrough the tubes. This gripper forms the subject matter of the presentinvention.

An example of the construction of a gripper according to the presentinvention is illustrated in the accompanyin drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view or the gripperduring its descent. Fig. 2 is a view ofthe gripper showing its parts in their operative position under the deckof the ship engaged thereby, and Fig. 3 is a plan thereof.

According to this invention the gripper consists of the rod -a having anernargement against which the gripper is to bear by means disk. -r:.

.e. ...l hearing may be interposed between the disk. Struts --cislr---cby means of .ihe other ends-of these H7 means of joints -fed bymeans of joint-pins /tto a disklike head -v'rwhich engages by means ofan internal screw'thread with the rod athat is formed at this part witha screw thread '7c. This gripper is passed through the tube Z until itsupper edge has moved under the lower edge of the hole previously drilledin the deck of the ship, and in this position its parts are in thepositions shown in Fig. 1.

On now rotating the rod --a which is prevented from vertical movementfor this purpose the action of the screw thread 7a will cause the head-?I to move down, while the outer ends of the arms -g-- will moveagainst the sides of the tube --Z, and since these ends are formed ascutting edges, or are provided with cutting wheels -0- they will cutthrough the sides of the tube. As a result oi the continued rotation ofthe the position shown in Fig. 2, carrying with them a strip -mof theside of the tube.

In order to prevent the gripper from shar ing in the rotation of the rod-'-c-, the low est guide tube may be formed with a corrugated innersurface, so that the largest di ameter will correspond tothe diameter ofthe upper tubes. The rod acan now be raised together with the gripper byscrew ing or the like. The arm g bears against the under surface of thedrilled part of the ship and will thus act to raise the ship. In orderto utilize the guide tubes L also for carrying the load, therod amay beprovided at intervals with grippers of known construction which jamthemselves fast against the inside of the tube and thus cause the rodand the tube to constitute a common supporting device. lli desired anumber of grippers may be arranged on one and the same red at suchdistances apart as to enable a number of superposed parts of the deck ofthe sunken ship to be engaged thereby.

By making the parts of the apparatus of suitable strength, and byproviding a sufficiently large number of points o f engage ment with thesunken ship, the latter may be raised from the bottom and then whilethus suspended be conveyed a any desired point together with the vesupporting the same which are connected by the platform.

bar a-, the arms will move gradually into through both Having fullydescribed my invention,

, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a gripping device for a hoisting i {IP- paratus, the combination witha rod, of

relatlvely movable members mounted thereon, a

plurality of pairs of gripping members, the members of each pair bearingpivotally against said relatively movable members at their outer endsand being pivotally connected at their inner ends by a pin passingmembers.

2. 'In a gripping device for a hoisting apparatus, the combination witha rod, of relatively movable members mountedthereon', means carried bysaid rod to cause relative movementbetween' said relatively movablenembers upon rotation of said rod, pivotallv ointed gripping membersbearing pivotally' -ed to be moved relatively movable disks on said rod,adapted to move relatively upon rotation of said rod, and jointed rodsbearing pivotally against said disks adapted to be moved outwardlywithout rotating when said disks are moved toward each other.

5. In a hoisting apparatus, the combination with a tube of a grippingdevice adapted to be lowered therein, comprising a rod, relativelymovable disks on said rod, and jointed rods pivoted to said disks,carrying cutting means adapted to cut through said tube, move outwardlyand carry sections of said tube therewith, when said disks are mbvedtoward each other.

(3. In a hoisting apparatus, the combination with a tube of a grippingdevice adapted to be lowered therein, comprising a rod, relativelymovable disks on said rod, adaptrelatively upon rotation of said rod,and jointed rods carrying cutting means bearingpivotally a ainst saiddisks adapted to cut through said tube, move outwardly and carrysections of said tube therewith, without rotating when said disks aremoved toward each other upon rotation of said rod.

In testimony whereof I have aflixcd my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

SIGMUND STEINER. Witnesses:

ERNST LIEBLICH, AUoUsr Fueonn.

